Robert McCrum on books + Melvyn Bragg | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/series/robert-mccrum-on-books+media/melvyn-bragg
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Books and TV need to find a happy mediumhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/06/robert-mccrum-books-and-television
As Jo Brand has shown, it's difficult to make a good TV show about books. But in the 1970s, the BBC pulled it off brilliantly<p>Television is a cool medium. The relationship between the viewer and the screen is low temperature and passive. Books, on the other hand, have always been hot. However tranquil their circumstances, readers will be actively engaged in the book. Their responses are rarely indifferent, often passionate. The paradox of books and television is that, while the moving image seems more vivid than the printed page, actually the reverse is true because books mobilise our imaginations. How, then, do you make a marriage between this ill-assorted couple? Answer: with difficulty.</p><p>This year, the BBC has responded to World Book Day with an innovative package of book-related television programmes, every one of which has probably frustrated its matchmaker's hopes. Saturday's celebration of World Book Night, hosted by Andrew Graham-Dixon, is a case in point. A current affairs programme about publishing, it was really a celebratory investigation of the charitable and philanthropic ambitions of the 1&nbsp;million copy giveaway.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/06/robert-mccrum-books-and-television">Continue reading...</a>BooksTelevision & radioTelevisionMelvyn BraggCultureSun, 06 Mar 2011 00:04:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/06/robert-mccrum-books-and-televisionMartin Argles/GuardianMariella Frostrup's Book Show is one of the few programmes about books that works. Photograph: Martin Argles for the GuardianMartin Argles/GuardianMariella Frostrup's Book Show is one of the few programmes about books that works. Photograph: Martin Argles for the GuardianRobert McCrum2011-03-06T00:04:02ZRobert McCrum: Time for a new TV books show?http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/may/17/melvyn-bragg-south-bank-show
<p>The much-expected announcement, following the demise of The South Bank Show, that Richard and Judy are to abandon their sofa on daytime TV and give up their sponsorship of new fiction looks like bad news for publishers but good news for Sky Arts's excellent Books Show, which will now enjoy a clear run of the airwaves. Though not for long, I fancy. Nature abhors a vacuum and I predict that some reckless broadcaster will soon throw caution to the wind and invest the exceedingly modest sums required to launch a new books programme - and discover to their surprise that it's actually quite popular. Better still, with a good producer and an experienced presenter, it can be both cheap and effective. The BBC, for example, could do a lot worse than revive its 70s paperback programme Read All About It, hosted by... Melvyn Bragg.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/may/17/melvyn-bragg-south-bank-show">Continue reading...</a>Melvyn BraggBooksTelevisionMediaCultureTelevision & radioSat, 16 May 2009 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/may/17/melvyn-bragg-south-bank-showRobert McCrum2009-05-16T23:01:00Z